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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I usually write extensive notes while I listen to audiobooks so I can give a good review. I was so captivated by Adjoa Andoh's voice and Ann Leckie's storytelling that I only wrote two things.
Dick festival
&
I miss Seivarden
(Even though she was there)
Does not matter though 'cause I still have thoughts! I could listen to Breq watching paint dry and I would still be throughly entertained! She is always twelve steps ahead of everyone and it so COOL! Genuinely makes me want to better myself!?
It feels unjust to rate these books against all the books I have read because I do not think I will ever find an equal to the feeling I get reading these. Usually, my listening speed is 2.0-2.5x speed but I listened at 1.5x speed for this so I could enjoy longer. I want to hold off even reading the next book because then I will have less to experience.
But behind all the humor, tea drinking, and pettiness lies so much relevant social commentary! I cannot BELEIVE this was written over a decade ago with how relevant the points Leckie was making are today!
Dick festival
&
I miss Seivarden
(Even though she was there)
Does not matter though 'cause I still have thoughts! I could listen to Breq watching paint dry and I would still be throughly entertained! She is always twelve steps ahead of everyone and it so COOL! Genuinely makes me want to better myself!?
It feels unjust to rate these books against all the books I have read because I do not think I will ever find an equal to the feeling I get reading these. Usually, my listening speed is 2.0-2.5x speed but I listened at 1.5x speed for this so I could enjoy longer. I want to hold off even reading the next book because then I will have less to experience.
But behind all the humor, tea drinking, and pettiness lies so much relevant social commentary! I cannot BELEIVE this was written over a decade ago with how relevant the points Leckie was making are today!
Didn't enjoy this as much as the first book. Still good, but much more Politico than I enjoy, I think. A bit dryer in terms of action, as well.
adventurous
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Ancillary Justice was epic space opera with enough of a weird cultural / narrative twist to lift it above the ordinary. Ancillary Sword, the second book of a planned trilogy is technically more polished, but the grand epic of the first book is lacking. It is a small little mystery set on a space station and planet, with the human civil war happening somewhere out of sight. This book definately suffers from the middle book syndrome, with no grand entrance nor epic finish. The character development is better than the first book, but I miss that book's scale. I will definately read the conclusion to the trilogy when it is released.
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A good middle book for the triology, setting up the ending while expanding the worldbuilding and character arcs. A surprisingly intimate, character-driven sci-fi epic.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Oh Breq…. you are so good and capable and loved…. I really enjoyed how this book in the series focused more on Breq’s relationships with her crew and the tiny, insidious ways in which Anaander Mianaai is fighting with herself. I really loved Breq’s quotes about forgiveness toward the end of the book. Her desire to be loved and to have something similar to the ship she once was was very emotional for me. I loved how this book delved into the characters and also set up important plot points for the next book in the series.
Slower start but ultimately pushed through and enjoyed. Concept is interesting and I like her careful attention to details that are seemingly inconsequential that are actually vehicles for explaining culture and society as experienced by the characters.
Ancillary Sword felt very different from the first book. Where Ancillary Justice was more of a large scope, space-opera thriller, this one felt more focussed on Breq, her trying to cope with her situation, and her crew.
I loved the themes in this one, the politics, the topics of social hierarchy and injustice. I also very much appreciated the absence of gendering of characters, just like in the first book. You really notice how little gender means to the essence of a character when it’s absent, and how deeply you can focus on every other aspect of their personality when you’re not automatically applying expectations based on their gender on them.
I really enjoyed Breq in this book, probably even more than in the first one. She's an incredibly interesting character, being a two thousand year old AI trapped in a single mortal body. I loved her sense of justice and her politics in this book, as well as her sympathy for other characters.
The lack of Seivarden in this middle part of the trilogy was kinda concerning, however. I‘m hoping they will play a larger role in Ancillary Mercy.
All the other characters were interesting enough, with Tisarwat being a stand out.
The plot was sloooow. Halfway through the book I had difficulty explaining what it’s even about. It is very obviously setting up the third novel, and I still enjoyed it a lot, but I wish there could’ve been more concerning the Lord of the Radch and the Presgers. Guess I’ll have to read Ancillary Mercy for that!
I loved the themes in this one, the politics, the topics of social hierarchy and injustice. I also very much appreciated the absence of gendering of characters, just like in the first book. You really notice how little gender means to the essence of a character when it’s absent, and how deeply you can focus on every other aspect of their personality when you’re not automatically applying expectations based on their gender on them.
I really enjoyed Breq in this book, probably even more than in the first one. She's an incredibly interesting character, being a two thousand year old AI trapped in a single mortal body. I loved her sense of justice and her politics in this book, as well as her sympathy for other characters.
The lack of Seivarden in this middle part of the trilogy was kinda concerning, however. I‘m hoping they will play a larger role in Ancillary Mercy.
All the other characters were interesting enough, with Tisarwat being a stand out.
The plot was sloooow. Halfway through the book I had difficulty explaining what it’s even about. It is very obviously setting up the third novel, and I still enjoyed it a lot, but I wish there could’ve been more concerning the Lord of the Radch and the Presgers. Guess I’ll have to read Ancillary Mercy for that!
This book was a decent follow up to Ancillary Justice. It did not have quite the impact of the first book since the first book was so unique in exploring its concepts of identity. I felt this book was much slower paced, but kept the story moving and really developed the characters more fully. I will for sure complete the trilogy but will not have as high (and frankly unreasonable) expectations for Ancillary Mercy.